ISU Bengal

Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Outdoor

e Taco Bell wrappers, the beer bottle caps and every one of those nasty cigarette butts. Then pack it up and carry it out of the wilderness area, even if it's not your trash.

Despite the nagging, begging and pleas for responsible behavior, there remains an ongoing need for educating folks about green practices and the "leave no trace" ethic in outdoor recreation areas.

That's right- you.

Green is the primary color of the wilderness and green practices can ensure it stays a verdant hue.

Think about it: Even the most responsible and careful backpacker, hiker, mountain biker and camper will destroy a portion of previously untouched nature. Where you've walked, maybe even where the tent was pitched, is going to leave marks. But the footprint you leave behind should be that of Bambi, not Bigfoot.

Rather than using what nature offers, the prevailing advice is to leave nature alone. Minimizing the impacts allows the next person to enjoy a pristine environment.

"There's old school, the woodsmanship, where it was OK to hike and camp and use the trees and foliage around you, rather than bring in gear," says Sara Close, membership and development manager for the Boulder, Colo. based nonprofit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. "Now we're at the point where we realize that's not the best decision."

Don't hack off tree limbs to build a shelter or stack rocks for campfire seating.

And here's a news flash: Our wilderness areas are not nature's garbage bins. According to the U.S. Forest Service, trash left behind in national forests is a common complaint from responsible visitors.

You are responsible for carrying out all your trash. Forget an aluminum can and it can stick around for 400 years and a glass bottle for 1 million years or so. Spit out a piece of chewing gum and it'll survive for five years in the wilderness.

Littering isn't the only environmental concern.

Leave No Trace emphasizes seven principles to minimize signs of human encroachment on the wilderness. Ben Lawhon, the group's education director, cites three major concerns.

1)Disposal of human waste: "It continues to be an issue with environmental, water quality and disease impact," he says. "When animals, insects or other people come in contact with human waste, they can act as a vector for spreading disease."

Lawhon says the speed at which human waste decomposes is relative to sun exposure, moisture, ground cover and other factors. The recommended method of disposal is to bury it 6 inches to 8 inches deep and a minimum of 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Then cover it with a stone or bough to help hide the site.

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